Love Comes Softly
by dakishime
Summary: Sometimes love doesn't have all the drama we tend to think it has. Sometimes cupid doesn't hit the arrow hard enough for us to notice. Sometimes... love just comes softly... Two-shot. NxH, SxS...


Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters. However, if Mr Masashi Kishimoto decided to 'give' them to me, you won't see _me_ complaining...

* * *

With a jolt, Naruto got out of bed.

He listened.

He heard the cries of a mockingbird.

He heard the rustling of leaves.

And he heard...

...silence.

For awhile, he pondered as to what woke him up.

Then, with a whispered curse, he pulled the covers over his head and tried to get back to sleep.

And with no warning whatsoever, it started...again.

"NARUTO! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!" a voice boomed, followed closely by an onslaught of the sound of his doorbell.

'And here I was hoping it was just a figment of my imagination...'

With a sigh, he dragged himself out of his bed and pushed open the oak door, only to come face to face with a furious pink-headed kunoichi.

"What took you so long to open the door?" she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Sakura, I just got home at 3 a.m. It's only 6 a.m. now... You do the math..." he patiently answered and proceeded to close the door.

"Hold it," she softly whispered, using her foot to prevent Naruto from closing the door.

Cerulean eyes met emerald.

"They captured someone who worked for Orochimaru…"

Naruto's eyes widened.

In a flash he threw on some clothes and joined Sakura.

"Let's go!" he cried as he ran down Konoha's dusty streets.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, Yamanaka Inoichi and Ino helped Ibiki with the interrogation, but they found out that her mind was wiped clean of any information regarding Orochimaru," Shizune stepped back to allow the dishwater blonde to pass.

Tsunade frowned, biting on the tip of her right thumb as she gathered her thoughts.

"This does put a dent in our plans…" Tsunade mused as she looked at the raven-headed girl in front of her.

"What's your name?"

The subject in front of Tsunade did not answer.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"You…you wouldn't believe me even if I…I told you…" she slowly answered.

"Try me,"

"I'm Hinata, Hyuuga Hinata" she whispered after a moment's hesitation.

For a second nobody moved.

"If you want to lie, please do a better job. Hyuuga Hinata may have disappeared 17 years ago, and perhaps you may look a bit like her, but there is one trait that is dominant in the Hyuuga clan. Their byakugan eyes," Tsunade scoffed.

For awhile, the girl didn't answer. Then she raised her head to reveal plain brown eyes.

"If you untie these restraints , I can show you that I really am Hyuuga Hinata,"

Tsunade gazed calmly at the petite girl.

"Do it," she snapped her fingers.

Immediately two anbu members stepped forward to loosen the chains that bound the prisoner.

Slowly, the girl brought her hands up to her eyes.

She bent her head slightly to let her hair fall around her like an opaque veil, and slowly pulled out something before dropping them to the ground.

She then looked up, revealing pale lavender eyes.

Stunned, Tsunade could only utter, "You…Contacts…"

"I _am _Hyuuga Hinata. 20 years old. I was kidnapped 17 years ago by shinobi of the hidden cloud village and hence after, was sold from one slave trader to another. When I was 15, a man called Kabuto bought me so that Orochimaru could use me as an experiment. Everything after that…is a blur to me…I'm sorry, but I don't remember a thing," she breathed in deeply.

"I only remember waking up in the hospital…and when I opened my eyes…I saw an angel," her emotionless face betrayed her with a small smile.

Tsunade's eyebrows quirked up, "An angel?"

Before Hinata could answer, the door to the interrogation room slammed open.

Eyes jerked up, as everyone looked at the person who had interrupted the petite girl's monologue.

"Where is he? WHERE IS THE PERSON WHO WORKED FOR OROCHIMARU?" roared Naruto as his eyes swept the room.

Tsunade groaned as she rubbed her forehead.

"NARUTO!" was all she needed to scream for the blonde to loose some of his steam.

"BA-CHAN! How could you not call me? You know how much I need information regarding Orochimaru!" he yelled, his blue eyes turning red.

"That's EXACTLY why I didn't call you! You lose sight of logic and become completely irrational, at the mere mention of Orochimaru! You would have been a hindrance to the interrogation team!" Tsunade yelled back, a vein popping out of her forehead.

Naruto was about to retort back until he caught sight of the girl in the chair.

_M…My angel is looking at me…_

"Hey! Didn't I see you at the hospital? What are you doing here?" he asked with a quizzical expression on his face.

_He…He's asking me a question! H…He's conversing with me!_

Within an instant, his facial expression changed to one of horror.

"Don't tell me…Orochimaru's underling attacked you?" he gasped.

_He's…eh?_

Hinata could only gape at him.

"I mean, why _else _would you be here or in the hospital? Orochimaru's underling attacked you and right now Ba-chan is trying to figure out what the attacker looks like right? Was he silver-haired and wearing round glasses? That guy's Kabuto, you're lucky to still be alive. He's a..."

Naruto went on with his monologue, unaware of the disbelief that was clearly evident on Hinata's face.

Tsunade looked at the two, a tad puzzled.

Then, her eyes lit up in understanding and she walked over to the raven-headed girl.

She bent down, until her mouth was close to her ear, and slowly whispered, "So he's your angel, huh?"

The only confirmation she received, was the dark blush that swept across Hinata's face.

"NARUTO!" she straightened.

"The things that snake has done! He's…What is it Baa-san?" he grumbled, irritated at her for interrupting his speech.

"What were you doing at the hospital?"

"Well…I heard that Kakashi-sensai was in the hospital…So I kind of visited him…" he trailed off.

"…So that you could catch a glimpse of what's under his mask," Tsunade finished his sentence with a sigh.

The only answer she received was an uneasy laugh from the cerulean-eyes ninja.

"So how did you meet the girl?" Shizune asked, tapping on her clipboard with her pen.

"Her? Well…She was in the bed right next to Kakashi-sensai…I didn't notice her at first, but then she started thrashing around…I guess I just instinctively ran over to see if she was ok…but then I realized that she was just having a nightmare, so I just kind of shook her shoulders…"

"A…And then I woke up," Hinata concluded, her eyes shifting nervously towards Naruto.

"Anyway…are you ok? What happened to you?" he knelt down to get a proper look at her face.

"Naruto…You really can be an idiot at times, you know that?" Tsunade smacked her forehead.

"She's the person who worked for Orochimaru,"

"Haha…HAHAHAHA! Oh you almost got me there Ba-chan!" Naruto disbelievingly laughed.

"I'm serious,"

"You can't be…She…SHE? B…BUT She doesn't have the…THE OROCHIMARU LOOK!" he shot up.

"And what, pray tell, is the Orochimaru look?" Tsunade's eyebrows rose an inch.

"You know! The slant eyes…the long tongue…the _vibe_," he shivered as he said the last word.

"For the sake of my sanity…I am not going to ask you to explain what you meant by the _vibe_," Tsunade teased.

She earned a smirk from the blonde shinobi.

"However, that's besides the point. Naruto, this girl was found a few feet outside Konoha…abandoned. The guards apparently saw Kabuto trying to carry her away, but managed to stop him in the nick of time. We can only speculate what really happened, but at this point of time, she is considered an enemy to us,"

"B...But I don't know anything... How can I possibly be an enemy?" Hinata protested.

"Yes dear, but what happens if your memories return? How will we know then if you decide to revert back into becoming one of Orochimaru's spies? As much as you may seem innocent now, I don't know you enough to trust you... I'm sorry," Tsunade looked sincerely apologetic.

"I... I understand..." Hinata sighed.

She resigned herself with the fact that she would have done the same thing if she had been in the Godaime's position.

"Wait... what did you mean by when her memories return?"

Both the Hokage, and Hinata looked at the blonde.

His face held a perplexed look.

"Hinata's memories have been wiped clean. She doesn't remember anything from the time she was with Orochimaru," the Hokage sighed as she slapped her hand lightly on her forehead.

"Y...You're kidding right? I mean... how...why?" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at Tsunade, and then to Hinata and finally back to Tsunade again.

"Like I said, we aren't too sure if Orochimaru wants to implant her here as a spy, or wheter she ran away from him,"

"B...But why can't she remember a thing?"

"Either Orochimaru wiped her memory so that none of us would suspect her of being a spy or Kabuto did it in a bid to prevent anything about Orochimaru from leaking out,"

Naruto seemed to be at a loss on what to say.

"So we've reached another dead end, huh?" a female voice drifted over the group.

Immediately, several heads swiveled around to see the newcomer.

"Sakura…" Naruto finally whispered.

The pink-headed kunoichi seemed to sag against the doorway, as though she couldn't bear to stand upright.

With a sad smile, "I better get going,"

She abruptly turned around and walked off, leaving silence in her wake.

Naruto stared at her retreating figure for awhile, before turning back to face the prisoner.

"You really don't remember anything at all? Nothing?" Naruto's eyes held a glimmer of hope.

A glimmer that was about to be wiped out completely by Hinata's next words.

"I'm sorry….I really don't," she bowed her head in self-disgust.

Naruto heaved a sigh, as he slumped to the ground

"How many more times do I have to deal with this crap?" he wearily stated as he leaned his head on his right palm.

"I… I'm sorry that I can't help you," Hinata whispered softly.

"You don't have to be sorry! It isn't your fault! If there's someone to blame, it's Sasuke… The idiot just ran off with that good-for-nothing snake, and now we have to bring him back…" he sighed heavily.

_That name sounds awfully familiar._

She slowly held her index and middle finger to her temple, trying in vain to recall where she had heard that name before.

"W… Why do you have to bring him back? D… Didn't he leave of his own free will?" her hand jerked back to her lap, as she tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"He's my best friend... and besides, I made a promise to someone that I'd bring him back, and I NEVER break my promises!" Naruto thrust his clenched fist into the air, earning a smile from the girl in front of him.

"I… I'm sure you don't, and I sincerely hope that you can find Sa…Sa…Sasuke…" her eyes widened as images flashed through her mind's eye.

_Screams_

_Shredded clothes lying everywhere._

_Dismembered body parts lying on the floor._

_Laughter._

_Blood… _

"Hey! Are you alright?" she heard her angel ask her, but she couldn't seem to answer.

In fact, she couldn't seem to breathe. It was as though her windpipe was too constricted to function.

Her breathing became laboured, and her vision blurred. She vaguely heard the commotion surrounding her, but she couldn't seem to register what was going on.

She felt someone clutch her shoulders in an attempt to steady her, but it was all too much.

"Help… me…" she murmured, before fainting dead away.

* * *

"_There aren't many ninja I can trust at this moment Naruto, but you are one of them. Just keep an eye on her. She might have another relapse, and perhaps she might remember her memories. We can't be too sure whether she ran away, or whether this is all a façade. I know you're a tad uncomfortable with this, but most of the other ninja are away on missions and Sakura… I don't think Sakura is up to this at the moment,"_

Hinata heard the soft murmur of voices. They sounded so close-by.

"_It's not that I mind, but don't you think she'll be better off with her clan?"_

Hinata slowly tried to open her eyes, but immediately regretted it when she was greeted by an onslaught of bright light.

"_Yes well… Hiashi and Hanabi are away at the moment. Nevertheless, I informed the clan elders about the situation, and I don't think they were too eager to take her back. I'm sure that once Hiashi hears about this, the situation will change, but until then just take care of her,"_

Hinata squinted slowly, trying to figure out who else was in the room.

"_I never did like those old geezers," _

"_Neither did I,"_

Finally, her eyes adjusted to the light, and she opened them fully.

"Well then Naruto! I'm heading off! Good luck and have fun!"

Hinata recognized the retreating figure as the Godaime, she slowly turned her head to see her angel standing next to the bed she was lying on.

He was staring at the Godaime with an unreadeable expression. A second later, he whipped his eyes to Hinata. It's needless to say that their eyes met immediately, causing Naruto to smile.

"Hey! You're finally awake! I have to admit I was getting a tad worried!" Naruto pulled a chair from somewhere turned it around, such that his chin could relax on the backrest.

Slowly, Hinata pushed herself up so that she could be in a sitting position. She clutched her head in agony.

"Here," he handed her some pills and a glass of water.

Gratefully, she took the pills and swallowed then down with a big gulp of water.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome… I have lots more of that stuff from Tsunade ba-chan. She said you'll most likely be experiencing more headaches if you try too hard to remember your past,"

Hinata nodded.

"Anyway… we can talk about that later. You're probably wondering why you're staying at my place rather than the hospital…" Naruto trailed off, wondering how he should explain the situation.

Hinata decided to spare him the agony, "Don't worry, I heard the conversation the two of you had. It was kind of h… hard not to, considering you were talking right in front of me,"

"Oh! Well, that saves me from trying to explain," he roared in laughter.

After his laughter died down, an awkward silence fell between the two of them.

"So...I don't think I really introduced myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm turning 21 in October!" the blonde thrust his hand out towards Hinata.

"I...I'm Hyuuga Hinata, and I w...will be turning 21 in December..." she accepted the offered hand.

And for once in their lives, neither of them felt alone.

* * *

Days turned into weeks, and the two of them got closer.

There seemed to be no sign of Hinata gaining her memories back, but it didn't bother Naruto as much as it should have.

In fact, he seemed much more cheerful than his former self.

He still did missions with the hope of finding leads as to Sasuke's whereabouts, but he also began helping with Hinata's rehabilitation.

And the best part was that it seemed to work...

Not only for Hinata, but for Naruto as well.

Hinata seemed to relax more around people and even caught glimpses of her forgotten past. Naruto on the other hand, seemed to gradually mature.

Everyone noticed the changes in the two characters, but nobody voiced out what they saw.

However, there seemed to be a unsaid conclusion hanging in the air.

They were good for each other.

* * *

Weeks turned into months.

Hiashi and Hanabi returned to the village.

Their first stop; the Godaime's office.

It was there that Hyuuga Hiashi had his first experience with the feeling of being stunned.

He had opened the door, and been unable to move, for there she stood in the Godaime's office; a living replica of her deceased mother.

And for once, in Hyuuga Hiashi's life, tears came to his eyes as he heard his eldest offspring mouth, "I'm home dad..."

The two enveloped each other in a hug, neither of them unable to say a word, yet wanting to say so much at the same time.

In the corner of the room, a solo sillouhette stood by, watching the interaction between the estranged daughter and father.

Naruto was happy for her... he really was, but at the same time, he couldn't help but envy the pale-skinned girl, for she had something he would never have.

A family.

His smile turned wistful, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by Hinata.

* * *

Months passed by and eventually Naruto's birthday arrived.

The Konoha twelve had planned a surprise birthday party for him with the help of a person who was privy to his work schedule (aka Hinata).

It had been a grand celebration and Naruto had appreciated it whole-heartedly.

Inspite of all the good cheer surrounding him, his heart felt heavy.

A few days ago, Hinata's father had asked Hinata to move out of Naruto's house and into the Hyuuga compound. At the time, Hinata had been too shocked to answer, so she had stalled for time by telling her father she would give him her answer in a week.

That week coincidently ended **today**.

So even though Naruto was happy that Hinata had been accepted back by her clan, he didn't want her to leave.

But of course... he would never tell her that.

After what seemed like only seconds, it was time for everyone to leave; but of course not without giving Naruto his presents!

The shinobi and kunoichi gathered around the blonde, urging him to open his gifts.

With a smile, he grabbed the nearest parcel and began ripping the wrapping paper away.

* * *

After all - nearly all - the presents had been unwrapped everyone left, leaving Naruto to appreciate the gifts his friends had gotten him from the comfort of his sofa.

Ino had brought a pot of soil, with 21 sunflower seeds already planted inside.

Kiba and Akamaru gave Naruto a puppy with light brown fur. Naruto - surprised nobody - by declaring his name would be Miso Ramen (Miso for short).

Shino presented Naruto with a personalized bug terminator kit. Now _that_ surprised everyone.

Sakura made him a basketful of soldier pills, which earned a grimace from the blonde.

Tenten and Neji decided to get him a brand new kunai set.

Lee had confered a green spandex suit to the blonde shinobi .

Sai had painted a picture of the Konoha thirteen and the three Sand nin.

Shikamaru bought him a shougi board; a subtle hint that he wanted Naruto to start learning how to play it.

Chouji had bestowed upon him 21 all-you-can-eat ramen coupons.

Hinata had...

It was only then that Naruto had realised that his petite roommate had not given him anything.

He was about to ask her, when she suddenly appeared with a neatly wrapped box.

"You didn't think that I would forget about your birthday, did you?" she smiled as she gently placed it on his lap.

"I hope you like it..."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, as he shook the box trying to figure out what it's contents were.

"Are you sure you wrapped something in this?" he joked, earning a laugh from her.

"Just open it!"

With a smile, he ripped the wrapping paper off and opened the box.

Inside were two hand sewn plush toys of himself and Hinata. On top of the plush toys, was a folded piece of paper.

"You sewed these yourself?"

"Well... I... I tried to at least," she blushed, as she poked her two index fingers together.

His smile widened as he noticed her embarressement.

He casually opened the note and skimmed through it's contents.

His smile vanished.

Over and over again, he read the five lines, as though he was unable to comprehend it's meaning.

"A... Are you serious?" he whispered, daring to look at her eye-to-eye.

"I... I am..."

"D... Do you realise what you're giving up?"

"I will always have my family Naruto, and I can always visit them, but I really meant what I said..." she gulped.

It all happened so fast that Hinata had no time to react. With swift movements, Naruto leapt from the couch and engulfed her in a hug.

Needless to say, Hinata turned a deep, dark red.

"Then, I would... I really would like you to..." his voice was muffled, as he buried his face in her right shoulder.

Hinata's hands wavered, unsure of what to do with them. Finally, she placed them on his back, returning his hug.

"Until you tell me otherwise, I won't... Until the day you tell me that you don't need me to stay, I'll stand by your side, because to me, you're just as important as my family..." she whispered, as she rubbed his back soothingly.

He grabbed her even tighter, letting a few tears of relief fall.

The letter fell to the floor, momentarily forgotten.

What did it say?

_Father may have asked me to return home, but what he doesn't realise is that my home is here._

_Would you like me to stay? For as you can see, I don't want to go..._

_So this is my real Birthday present to you._

_Happy Birthday!_

_Hinata_

On Naruto's 21st birthday, he received a gift that was irreplaceable.

He received a family.

_

* * *

_

Alright! This is not a one-shot! I decided to make it into a two-shot/three-shot. I hope you guys like it, and alot of unanswered questions will be answered in the second chapter. Will Hinata ever gain her memories back? Will Naruto get Sasuke back? Will Team Kakashi ever be reunited? What were those flashbacks Hinata saw?

P.S: To Saving me readers! I'm conducting a poll , which can be seen on my profile, to see which other characters you like to see! So please vote for your favourite character!

Please review! When you review I know that you liked the story, so I'll feel more motivated to write the next chapter faster!


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